This section is intended to introduce the reader to aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure described herein, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure described herein. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Animal and equine owners use horse walkers or similar conditioning devices to train and to exercise animals. Over time, owners have observed these devices' limitations and have sought to improve them to enhance safety, ease of use, and portability.
One problem with traditional designs is that they often limit an animal to unnatural or fixed movements, such as forcing it to move in a strictly defined circular path. Another problem arises when a device forces an animal to continue moving forward at a rigid constant speed, thereby potentially causing head or neck injuries to the animal. Finally, some conditioning devices are designed so that their serviceable components are integrated or fixed to the body, thereby making maintenance and serviceability difficult.
Although prior devices have attempted to overcome some of these problems, disadvantages still remain. For example, the arms of prior devices are still restricted to, at most, a few fixed positions during operation. Also, components of some prior devices are difficult to retrieve for service, since they are usually either integrated into the device or positioned so that several steps are required to remove them. Moreover, prior devices are assembled and mounted on flat terrain, limiting an animal to using only certain muscle groups, resulting in underdeveloped animals. Indeed, animals that train only on flat terrain often become bored, resistant, or agitated. Over time, underdeveloped animals may pose financial risks to a trainer or to an owner. In addition, replacing the original exercise device with a new device would generally require a new foundation base and new underground cabling to be performed. Finally, components are often left exposed, increasing maintenance needs and creating unwanted noise.
Hence, what is needed is an automated animal conditioning device that allows an animal to move as freely as possible on various types of terrain to promote better conditioning of the animal. It should also protect serviceable components from the elements while allowing an operator to retrieve them in as few steps as possible. Additionally, such a device should have the capability to be installed onto and integrated with existing foundation bases and underground cabling. To that end, as the device is modular in design, it should be adaptable and allow for components to be replaced, added, or substituted as necessary for achieving one of several desired configurations.